State of Blacks

Blacks after the Civil War enjoyed many privileges that their predecessors
could only dream of. They could vote, hold office and attend school. New Orleans,
Louisiana, was one of the more integrated cities in the South.
It desegregated its streetcars in 1867, began experimenting with
integrated public schools in 1869, legalized interracial marriage
between 1868 and 1896, elected a total of 32 black state senators
and 95 state representatives, and had integrated juries, public
boards, and police departments [1].

Despite these major improvements, life for Southern
blacks was far from perfect. "Black Codes," designed
to limit the opportunities of blacks, were passed in the South
during Reconstruction. The Black Codes placed taxes on free blacks
who tried to pursue nonagricultural professions, restricted the
abilities of blacks to rent land or own guns, and even allowed
the children of "unfit" parents to be apprenticed to
the old slave masters [2]. In effect, this
was a continuation of
slavery. It was during this time period that anti-black groups
such as the Ku Klux Klan had their start. By 1896, the situation was extremely volatile.
Something was bound to give.